Ilya Kovalchuk talks about Gazprom Neft Cup on Match TV

13 October 2017, 10:59 (msc)

Following the premiere of a film about the XI Gazprom Neft Cup on KHL TV, this colourful story of the biggest U-11 ice-hockey tournament in Europe was shown by Russia’s main sports channel — Match TV. The tale of the showdowns that took place in April 2017 in Sochi and Omsk, and of the tough road to that first great victory in every boy’s career, was introduced in an interview with the Chairman of the Gazprom Neft Cup Organising Committee Alexander Dybal. Discussing the outcome of the contest, Alexander Dybal also spoke about some of the innovations that featured for the first time in this year’s tournament. In addition, Avangard players Artyom Manukyan and Maxim Mineev shared their memories of participating in the Gazprom Neft Cup 11 years ago!

But it isn’t just the young team members who are convinced that big contests like the Gazprom Neft Cup help young ice-hockey players to build their confidence, hone their skills, and make some wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. KHL star Ilya Kovalchuk, whose team — St Petersburg’s SKA — are currently top of the league, told a Match TV recording crew about his own experiences of kids’ hockey.